


Attitude

by Wewheresobeautiful



Series: One word promts (Merthur edition) [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, One Word Prompts, Punishment, Stocks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 16:49:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5547956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wewheresobeautiful/pseuds/Wewheresobeautiful
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a vising noble witnesses the king and his menservants unique banter he mistakes it for disrespect and demands that Merlin be taught a lesson. not wanting to hurt his friend but needing to prove his authority Arthur sentences Merlin to a day and a night in the stocks.</p><p>Merlin dose not think its going to be that bad until night falls and hes left cold, alone and covered in egg.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Attitude

**Author's Note:**

> This is the start of my one word prompts series. All the fics in this series can be read alone and will often take place in different time periods and different AU's. There is no plot between the fics in this series. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Arthur was an idiot. A big, blonde, muscly mix of flesh and idiocy. Merlin didn’t give him ‘Attitude’, he gave him truth. He was a cabbage head and his socks did stink. It wasn’t worthy of him being put in the stocks, at least that’s what he kept telling himself as the rotten tomatoes and rancid lettuce was hurled at him. It was never called attitude by those in the kingdom. Town folk called it banter and the knights called it flirting (undeniably Gwaine’s influence). If it wasn’t for the visiting noble forgetting how to knock on the king’s chamber doors he wouldn’t be in this mess. Apparently Merlin was ‘dishonoring’ the king with ‘cheek’ and ‘attitude’ and needed to be ‘taught a lesson’. The noble had requested a public whipping or a week in the dungeons with one meal a day and a bucket of water to wash in and drink from, but Arthur insisted that such an offence was only worth a few days in the stocks at most, patting Merlin on the shoulder in a way that he couldn’t figure out if he was being comforted or threated. So there was that at least, Merlin though through the day as satsumas and orange peels where swapped out for harder ammo. Arthur was noble king and a good friend, he knew his need to prove his authority to the visiting noble, if an alliance was ever to form, and his need to ensure that he protected his friend from what was less of a crime and more of a daily routine. 

He was in for the day and the night according to the king’s orders. The noble had suggested a week but Arthur had argued that a day and night would be sufficient punishment, from the rotten produce, the strain on the body, the cold night air and of course the public humiliation of it all. Merlin didn’t know if he was grateful or not. The day was hard, but he’d done it before, he was prepared for the back aches and the dead arms and the cracking stiff knees, but at nightfall he always knew the guards would be down to unlock him and help him crack his back and shuffle his way too his chambers on swollen ankles. So when nightfall came the real punishment started. The small hope he had been holding onto through the day slowly dying in his chest as the sun’s rays disappeared behind the hills, he kept holding out hope that Arthur would send the guards anyway, that it was all just for show and he wasn’t really going to spend the night out in the cold covered in tomato juice and egg yolk. But night set in and there wasn’t any sign of life within the mile to him. He looked up towards the castle, eyes traveling up the windows floor by floor until he saw Arthurs, window pan cracked open and candle light illuminating the intricate stained glass shapes. Somehow that made it worse, his shoulders slumped, his knees slacked and he was forced to stare at the organic litter at his feet, sighing he accepted his fate for the night, goose pimples rising on his flesh and waves of shivers rocking his gaunt frame. 

He was half asleep when he noticed a soft glow to his side, blinking his eyes open and groaning at the throbbing pain in his neck and back he looked to each side before spotting a hooded figure carrying a torch, the fire flickering and dimming in the cool night breeze. His magic welled in his chest, prepared to attack if necessary, but it soon disappeared with a low hum and Merlin’s eyes travel up and down the figure, seeing the same boots he’d been polishing for years poke out from under the coat tails.

“Nice of you to join your majesty, by any chance do you have a big old key on you? Metal, about the size of your ego” Merlin watched as the hood was flicked back and Arthurs annoyed and unsurprised face was reveled, jaw set and head shaking. 

“You know that attitude is what got you stuck here in the first place” Arthur’s voice was light as he struck the torch into the soft pelt, twisting it to stay upright as he collected one of the empty crates from the firing line and upturned it to create a stable stool. 

“Unlikely to get any worse though is it” Merlin shrugged, smiling softly as Arthur pulled from his robe two soft dinner rolls filled with shredded rabbit and a thick layer of herb butter “that for me or are you still going for the record of most belt holes added in a single season?” 

Arthurs eye roll was enough to break through Merlin’s resolve, a soft smile breaking onto his face and a laugh bursting forth as Arthur took a big bite out of his roll, chewing it enthusiastically, snacking his lips and rubbing his stomach with exaggerated moans. They spent the next few minutes in silence as Arthur finished his roll completely before breaking Merlin’s into small chunks and handfeeding him. The torch gave off a small amount of warmth, just enough for merlin to get his hopes up that maybe he would one day get to feel his fingers again, but the cold night breeze was stronger, coming in between brief flows of warmth to destroy any progress. Merlin’s teeth chattered as he took the next bite from Arthur, effectively finishing his roll. 

“Your cold” Arthur said softly, huffing at Merlin’s eye roll as he clenched and unclenched his blue fingers. 

“It’s winter, not that surprising” Merlin replied through chattering teeth as his breath formed huffs of smoke in front of him. Arthur pulled off his leather gloves, slowly slipping them on to Merlin’s hands before removing his coat and laying it across his back and over his legs, cocooning his friend in body warmed cloth. Merlin clenched his hands, sighing as the fiery warmth seeped into his bony fingers from the lamb’s woolen insides. 

“Thanks” he mumbled as Arthur brought the fire closer to both of them, keeping the warmth between the two. 

“No problem, can’t have your fingers falling off. Who’d wash my socks?” Arthur said with a grin, laughing at Merlin’s unamused face before them both dissolving into giggles.

The night drew on and Arthur stayed, telling Merlin about the new noble and his terrible ideas about combat formation. They passed a water skin of mulled wine back and forth. It was empty when the sun rose. Arthur’s face crumbled as he took back his gloves and cloak, leaving Merlin shivering once more as he packed up, ready to return to the castle and make it seem as if he’d never left his chambers.

“The guards will be down in a few hours. I told them to come as early as they could. Come immediately to my chambers, I’ll have a bath drawn for you. You can warm yourself up while I dress” Arthur didn’t look at him as he pulled on his gloves and cloak, flicking the hood up to cover his face and pulling the dying torch from its hole. Merlin nodded. 

“Yes sire” he watched his friend walk away into the fog and sighed, smiling softly as he felt the cold creep back into his bones, unfussed as he knew he would soon be submerged in fragrant hot water, teasing the king as he tried and failed to dress himself. Back to who they were, interrupting nobles aside.


End file.
